Go Girls! Group Mentoring

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Many of us were lucky enough to have had a mentor step into our lives during our formative years – at that time when we needed them most. A parent. A teacher. A relative. Whomever, it was someone who treated us with respect and in turn earned ours. Who valued our ideas, included us, and encouraged us. Who taught us that doing good is every bit as important as doing well. And who gave us the courage to make tough decisions, the self-esteem to make smart choices and the confidence to be true to ourselves.

Go Girls!

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds

Go Girls! is a group mentoring program for girls ages 11-13 that focuses on physical activity, balanced eating and self-esteem. The single, most important goal of the program is to positively shape the lives of young women and girls by helping them build a positive self-image – setting them on a path to reach their full potential in life.

The Go Girls! program consists of 7 mentoring sessions, held over a 7-10 week period, during lunch hours and after school within school facilities. Each 1.5-2 hour-long session is loosely structured around four themes: physical activity, healthy eating, self-esteem, and communication skills.

The program strives to do the following:

create appreciation for the benefits of an active, healthy lifestyle

build understanding of what constitutes healthy eating habits and the risks associated with eating disorders

Quotes

“This is my second time facilitating a Go Girls group, so obviously I think it is a great program. I love the philosophy behind it - to teach young girls about leading a healthy lifestyle and feeling good about themselves. But it is more than just an educational program. It's about providing these girls with a safe and fun environment to feel comfortable enough to ask the questions they may be scared to ask elsewhere. It allows them to get to know other girls who they may see every day, but have never talked to. I have witnessed first-hand timid girls opening up both to the facilitators and to the other girls in the group. The girls come into Go Girls every day with a smile and lots of enthusiasm. This second time, as I feel more comfortable with the program, I am more aware of all the benefits. The girls seem so honest, so genuine, so pleased to be a part of something. I hope that they take something away from the educational portion, but even if they forget everything we tell them, I can tell you that they definitely benefit from being surrounded by like-minded females for one hour a week. It's just too bad the program is so short.” – Celeste Seiferling

“When I first volunteered to be a mentor for Go Girls I hoped to help the young girls achieve a higher sense of self-esteem and a better understanding of what a healthy lifestyle can mean – what I didn’t realize is that the girls would show me some important stuff too…like how to do the break dancing move “the worm”, or the pivotal differences between the Twilight characters, but most importantly that with a meeting a week we can make a connection, and a difference in these girls lives”. – Amy Buettner